Holden's Path Part II
by obey2084
Summary: The Pokémon League grants Holden permission to run a one month course for students in the Johto Region. However, one student attempts to cause trouble. Meanwhile, Holden becomes reacquainted with an old friend.
1. Chapter 12

**HOLDEN'S PATH**

Written by Obey

DISCLAIMER:

I do not own the rights to Pokémon. This story is for fanfiction purposes only.

INTRODUCTION:

This story takes place during the 6th Generation of Pokémon. At the time I came up with this story, I had played both the X and Y versions of the game, and took a liking to the style, which is why I mostly centered the plot around Lumiose City and the Kalos Region.

This story combines elements from the anime and the game series, where I made decisions, based on my judgment, on how to enhance the experience while striving to demonstrate realistic events from a world where extraordinary things happen.

Popular characters that are absent include Red, Blue, Gary, N, and Giovanni. Ash Ketchum is in the story and his existence created a potential conflict with Red's, and to keep things simple I removed Red. If anything, Holden essentially takes Red's place in the universe of this story. As for Giovanni and N, the drama surrounding their roles in the Pokémon world was inconvenient for the progression of this story, so they do not get mentioned. Another character not mentioned in Tobias, since he used legendary Pokémon in the anime, and I'm avoiding having them in league competition since they're too powerful.

The character ages were a challenge, and I tried to keep them consistent to a certain degree. At the beginning of the story, Holden is 25 years old, while both Ash and Serena are 20. Ash is armed with his Kalos lineup during this story. This means that the story takes place before Serena leaves the group to pursue her dreams.

This story is a representation of the experiences and observations I made during my days competing in Super Smash Brothers. Similar to that, there is a community and culture. There are alliances, leagues, trainers, cocky competitors. There is respect, and lack thereof. It's a unique world and people become part of it due to the constant inspiratational moments to occur, which I attempted to simulate in this story.

PLEASE ENJOY

**PART II**

"_No matter how strong you are, your pokémon partner will always be stronger. We don't pull our pokémon with a leash: they pull us instead. Let them take you places, and you'll discover things you never even imagined."_

-Holden Hoffman, head coach of Apex Academy

CHAPTER 12.

THREE MONTHS LATER

The magnet train went from Saffron City of the Kanto region to Goldenrod City of the Johto region, and at last, the ride was nearly over. Holden leaned against the window and peered out into the passing wilderness, noticing the many trees that littered the region now. After all, Johto was the land of the trees, having most of its cities named in such fashion. Even the region's chief scientist was Professor Elm.

It had been more than five years since Holden last visited the Johto region, but now was as good a time as any to finally to return. Just over a month ago, he had a meeting with members of the Pokémon League to discuss matters concerning his academy. With Diantha absent from the meeting, Holden was able to acquire a tremendous victory for his school: the Pokémon League had agreed to let him hold a course for Apex Academy in the Johto region lasting an entire month. While he trained his students there, outside students would have to be permitted to enter the classes for a discounted cost. In Holden's eyes, it was a very fair compromise.

This was the first big opportunity Apex Academy had gotten in years. After all, the Pokémon League had banned Holden from opening other schools in different regions. With this chance to demonstrate the effectiveness of his school, Holden had a huge responsibility. Not only did he need to be there the entire month, he had to make sure things went perfectly. There could be no problems, or the future of Apex could be ruined.

Once the train came to a stop in the station, Holden reached for his two bags. He rose up and looked back to locate Turner and Erico, two of his head students, who were asleep in their seats a few rows back. They would be accompanying him on this trip to help him manage the job. It was easy to foresee he'd need the extra help.

It was time to depart, so Holden tapped the two students on their shoulders to wake them up. "Let's go. We're here." They gradually returned to consciousness and looked up eagerly at Holden before rising to go peer out the nearest window. With a laugh, Holden motioned to the exit. "You'll have plenty of time to see things once we're outside. Let's move."

Turner was in his blue academy shirt, wearing the hat to go with it. He had brown eyes and hair, and was only 19 years old, yet he was a solid instructor. Unlike him, Erico wore all brown, including a coppola hat, and he had black hair. He was even younger at 18 years old, and his primary contribution to the academy was being a powerful pokémon trainer. So in a sense, Turner specialized in tutoring people, while Erico focused on coaching pokémon.

Holden's 26th birthday was only a couple months away, and he loathed the thought of it. Rather than focusing on his growing age, however, he was bent on doing all he could in the present. His academy was relying on him to deliver a great one month training session here in the Johto region, and he wasn't going to let them down. Once outside, the hot sun shone down on the three travelers. Beyond the city lines, there were trees everywhere, as advertised, and a natural beauty to the landscape. The Kalos region had been more humid, while this region was much drier. Large forests loomed just beyond the city line, but Goldenrod City had tons of buildings instead. After all, it was the largest city in the Johto region.

"I'm starving," said Erico, disturbing the awe of the travelers laying their eyes on the alluring sights. He rubbed his stomach with his right hand to further demonstrate it.

It elicited a sigh from Holden, though after a moment to consider their feelings, he realized Turner and Erico rarely traveled far from home, while Holden had done it many times in his life. "If you want, the two of you can go grab some food. I'm going to go visit the building first to get a look at things. I don't think I'll be able to sit around at a café until I've seen that first."

"You sure, Holden?" asked Turner, though he already knew about the head coach's dedication to the school. It was part of the reason why he respected him so much, and why he dedicated his loyalty to the academy to begin with.

While Holden could not deny he felt a bit hungry himself, he maintained his decision. "Yeah, it's fine. But I want both of you to go settle into your hotel rooms and then get to the school by four o'clock. I'll need your help to tidy things up so that we're ready by tomorrow morning for the classes." When his students nodded in understanding, Holden was satisfied, and they all went off to do what they were planning. This would give Holden a chance to tend to his next task.

Once he was alone, he reached into his pocket for his phone. Before he could dial the intended phone number, a horn honked to catch his attention. It came from a car parked nearby, and Holden recognized the silver paint job. As soon as the driver realized Holden saw her, she opened the door and stepped out into sight. She was Jasmine, the Olivine City gym leader. "Long time, no see," she said with a friendly greeting.

Holden smiled as he approached her. "I guess it has been."

Unlike Holden, Jasmine was dressed to look very appealing. She had long brown hair with two wings of it raised up and held in place with orange spheres. Her eyes matched her hair color, and her outfit was a blue and white shirt, covered with an orange bow that went across her chest. She was two years older than Holden and was even taller than him. Once she saw Holden was walking toward her, she walked over in front of the car and leaned against it. "I was starting to think you wouldn't come back." Her eyes were shining with intrigue on account of her past memories with him.

In spite of her suggestion, Holden didn't get defensive. In truth, he hadn't planned to return to the Johto region at any specific time. That was all part of his life since he had obligations back home for his academy. Even so, he knew Jasmine wouldn't want to hear about all that right now. "I've been busy..." he explained simply. Since he was standing in front of her now, Jasmine advanced forward, and wrapped her arms around him so she could kiss him on the lips. They both closed their eyes and their kissing kept up for a couple of minutes. Finally, Holden grinned and addressed her appearance. "Your hair looks nice."

"Thank you, honey. I got it done yesterday so I'd look good for you. I know you're tired from traveling, but there's so much we need to catch up on. I hope there's enough time for us to do that. Is there?" She was already getting ahead of things, but she paused to remind herself of that.

Holden was smiling, but he also let out a subtle sigh unbeknownst to her. "I need to get to the school and start setting things up. If you're willing to drive me there, I'll get done quicker. Then we can go to lunch, my treat." He placed both his hands on her shoulders and looked solemnly into her eyes. "Sound good?"

Naturally, Jasmine returned his gaze with admiration. "Sounds lovely."

The location for the school was a newly opened suite next door to the Radio Tower. This property would likely be used with programs related to radio broadcasting in the future, but so far, it had not been sold, so it remained vacant. Holden used funds from Apex Academy, as well as the prize money for making the top 8 in the tournament, to rent the space for one month, so that he could potentially advertise his school to the entire region. This was his chance to show the Johto region what Apex Academy was all about, and there was a lot of pressure, perhaps even more than in a pokémon battle competition. At least, that's how Holden felt.

From the outside, the suite looked very decrepit. That was to be expected, though, and Holden was planning on patching it up to make it more welcoming. Once he reached the front door, he peered through the glass and saw inside. It looked compact, but that was just the front room. There was a bigger room beyond that.

A mailbox was hanging to the right above the door. Holden brought out his phone to review the code to unlock the box which would contain vital deliveries. When he got it open, he found the key that had been left for him to access the building. He put it in the lock and released it, then opened the door and stepped inside. There was an unpleasant smell from the accumulation of dust and asbestos, but aside from that, the building was fairly tidy. He wouldn't need to spend as much time cleaning this part of the building, which was a positive.

Jasmine entered right behind him, looking around with intrigue. "Where are your coaches?"

They weren't present, but Holden already knew why. "I told them to take some time getting lunch. They'll be back here by four o'clock to get started on the work." With that settled, Holden moved on through the doorway to the back left, and passed on through to the back room. Sure enough, it was significantly large, with enough space for hundreds of people to fit in. Somehow, he'd underestimated how large the suite would be, but he was glad he did. "This is amazing. We can do so much with this."

The gym had mats installed on the left side while a mobile arena floor covered the right section. He had methods behind this format involving the students and the pokémon. Aside from the mats, and some boxes of supplies piled over against the left wall, the building was empty.

Jasmine was suddenly very surprised. "You're gonna turn this place into a gym to train for your academy in _one day_? That's so much work!"

Though it really was, Holden acted like it wasn't. "I'll have help, so it will go by smoothly. Besides, we don't need to turn it into a five star hotel. We just need it to be functional for the classes." Holden had spent weeks planning the schedule for the classes. There would be three classes a day, each one lasting two hours. The classes were going to take place seven days a week, so Holden wouldn't be taking any days off. Though he'd been reluctant to do it, he ultimately decided that he had to take every day possible to further demonstrate his commitment to the academy.

"What are you gonna name the place?" asked Jasmine. Her interest in his affairs wasn't merely due to her infatuations for him. Jasmine was still a pokémon trainer, and the Olivine Gym leader, so she had a natural interest in pokémon battles.

Holden looked out the front window and smiled as he reviewed his choice for the name. "Apex Academy Johto. It won't be an official business name, though, so if things really take off, I may change it at some point." It made sense considering back home his school was titled Apex Academy Kanto, since it was a representation of his school for the region.

Another question came to Jasmine's mind. "Where'd you get the name Apex from? You picked it, right?"

Holden nodded in response. "I wanted to illustrate that my school sought to reach the highest level of pokémon training, or the apex. It stuck after that."

"Yes, it's a great name," said Jasmine as she turned her head, causing her hair to wave with excitement. "You've come a long way, Holden. You know, you inspired _me_ a lot too." She wasn't lying about that, though Holden didn't feel so positive about his contributions to her journey. Unlike him, Jasmine was actually a pokémon gym leader, though she inherited it from her grandfather, Myron. It reminded Holden of the Shalour City Gym, where Gurkinn let his granddaughter Korrina run things most of the time. Thinking of Korrina even for a moment made Holden shudder and he abandoned the thought at once. Regardless of how he felt about Jasmine, she was nothing like the spoiled grandchild of Gurkinn.

Instead of thinking about the negatives, Holden homed in on the positive. "You've been far more honest about your experiences than most other gym leaders," he said to Jasmine, which was a bold statement and she knew it. "Most of them think they're the best, but only a select few actually aspire to reach the higher levels. For what it's worth, I'm glad you've always been growing in strength." Jasmine smiled with a strange envy culminating as a result of Holden's words, and he quickly regretted issuing the praise. Sure, Jasmine was a talented trainer, even for a gym leader, but she was also very smothering. If he was going to effectively run his classes during the next month, he would need to take care around her.

That being said, Jasmine was Holden's only real friend in the region. He'd originally met her when he went to her gym to fight her for a badge. He was sixteen years old at the time, and had been traveling alone for months, with only his pokémon as his companions. Jasmine took a liking to the young and motivated trainer, and began to offer him financial support when she learned of his desire to compete in the National Championship. It started off with small favors, but gradually Jasmine increased her gifts to larger amounts. Holden considered her a great friend, but inevitably, his relationship with her had grown into something lacking definition, and now he had no idea what to do with it.

For the time being, he hoped things would remain stable just for one month, until he finished up the classes for the Johto region students, and then he'd hurry back home away from her. It didn't sound too difficult. All he had to do was keep busy, and the time would fly by. It always did. After completing his inspection, Holden led Jasmine back up front. "Okay, things are good here for now. Let's grab lunch, and then I'll come back and get to work."

When Jasmine smiled again, Holden saw it, and he was slightly perturbed. "Yes, honey," she replied, making it worse. Perhaps it would be more difficult than it sounded.


	2. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13.

When the sun rose the next day, Holden didn't want to wake up. He was sprawled out on the couch in his office, where he would be sleeping for the entire month. When the sun rose, it shone its rays through the window back by the front door, which then reached into the office, where there wasn't even a door to seal off the room.

As Holden's eyes fluttered open, he heard the tapping sound of hammering going on just outside, which informed him that Turner and Erico were up earlier than him doing some extra work. That was motivation enough to get him off the couch and up on his feet. He didn't even bother putting on a shirt as he went inside the gym to locate his coaches. Instead, he found them outside the gym, where he realized the hammering was from his coaches hanging up pictures on the wall in the front room to help promote Apex Academy.

"Rise and shine," Erico said with a laugh. Holden grimaced in response, but it was in regards to something else. It didn't take long for Erico to figure it out. "Let me guess, you're wondering where the coffee machine is?"

"He's not a real trainer without his coffee," added Turner.

"Guys," Holden said groggily, still soaked in fatigue, "Knock it off. Just tell me you got the coffee maker hooked up." They laughed together for several moments, and finally Erico pointed at the wall across the room. Holden left quickly to go see what was there, and found a table set up with some supplies. There were water bottles and some juice packets stacked up, and a large cooler sitting on the floor nearby. It didn't take long to determine there was no coffee maker present. "You're gonna make me beg?"

More laughter erupted, but Turner walked over to offer assistance. "You'll have to go to the café at the end of the block. I can go buy a new machine later on if you really need it."

Turner seemed to expect Holden to try and defy his accusation, but the opposite occurred instead. "I _do _need it," Holden insisted. "But that's okay, I'll go buy one after I shower. Thanks for getting up early with Erico. I'll join you guys within the hour to finalize everything. Remember, the first class is at ten o'clock. Since it's the first day, we're probably gonna move slowly until we get the hang of everything."

Both assistant coaches were very understanding of the plan for the next month. After all, Holden had gone over it with them many times already. "Got it boss," said Erico.

"Yeah, we'll be here," added Turner. With that said, Holden got to it. Once he finished his shower and changed, he went down the block, where the café was just located like Turner had explained. Holden acquired a hot cup of Saffron Tranquility, and his spirits were finally restored. When he got back outside, he elected to skip out on buying the coffee maker for the time being, because he was too nervous now about the first day of classes. Besides, the café was close enough to provide him his daily fix for the time being.

Once Holden returned to the school, and once he made quick work of his coffee, he joined in on the work. The pictures were a nice touch, as they were all photos of pokémon from students back at Apex Academy in Saffron City. In addition, they had photos of their students, some of which even dated back years ago. Holden was proud of the look the studio was giving based off the photos. The remaining work was mostly touching up a few damaged parts of the walls that had been missed during the bulky work yesterday.

All in all, the school looked very stimulating, and Holden was proud.

It was nine o'clock now, and less than hour before the start of the first class, but Turner and Erico were ready to begin now. Sensing it, Holden smiled and motioned toward the back room. "You two have done amazing work. Go in the back and get in some battling to test out the training room." They leapt with excitement and hurried off to get in some practice. Just before they were out of sight, Holden shouted out the words, "Make sure you guys don't burn the place down!"

While his two assistant coaches enjoyed a break from the hard work, Holden returned to his office and took a seat. The papers sitting there included the signups for the classes from students who had registered prior to the start of the course. Thanks to this, Holden could gauge a solid estimate of how many students would be present. According to registration, there would be at least forty students.

At 9:15, some parents began to enter the building. Holden left the office to go and give greetings, where he was met with questions surrounding the temporary academy. He was friendly and welcoming to all of them, and it was refreshing to meet with so many kind and thoughtful people. That was the power of pokémon: it brought all kinds of people together. By 9:40, five more students had been signed up for the classes. The cheap price for the one month course was especially enticing for aspiring young trainers, as well as parents hoping to provide their children with support for their dreams. The building was getting very crowded as kids were beginning to gather in the front room, and Holden came up with an idea. "Hey everybody, if you'd like, I'll take you all to the training room so you can watch Turner and Erico battle pokémon!" A chorus of excited cheers rang out, and it worked, so now Holden got the students in the larger room in an organized fashion. Sure enough, the two assistant coaches were going at it with their pokémon, and they started to show off even more once they noticed their new audience.

Once it was ten o'clock, Holden said the final goodbyes to the parents who were leaving, though most of them were going to stay and watch their kids train. For those guests, Holden guided them to the back training room, where there were benches available to sit and spectate comfortably. The more parents who stayed to watch, the more advertising Apex Academy received. And of course, it was always good for the parents to stay and watch their children train to show them that they cared.

It reminded Holden of his own parents, but he only reflected on that momentarily.

It was time to begin the class, and Holden called Turner and Erico back over to join him. They quickly returned their pokémon into their orbs, and rushed over to greet the students. Holden began the introductions. "Good morning, everyone! My name is Holden Hoffman, and I'm the head coach of Apex Academy. On behalf of our school back in the Kanto region, we want to say, konnichi wa!"

All the aspiring students shouted, "konnichi wa!" in unison, which was a pleasant sound to the coaches.

"Now then," Holden resumed. "We have one month of classes scheduled here in the Johto region…for the first time ever! This is a different experience than anything we've ever done before back home. But trust me when I say this: you're all going to come out of this stronger than you were before." This time, the students clapped in support of the promise made. The parents also clapped more mildly back on the benches. "The first thing I want to remind all of you is that this isn't just training for the pokémon: this is training for _you_ too. Everyone will be getting active prior to the pokémon training, so the first twenty minutes of the class will be spent on warm ups. Today, however, we're just gonna go over everything the class has to offer, and we'll get to the workouts tomorrow."

As Holden proceeded with the class, the students were surprisingly very compliant. On occasion, some of them would mess around or make jokes, but nothing out of the ordinary for boys and girls as young as ten years old. The age range of the students was twelve to sixteen years old mostly, with one or two who were older.

Most of the students had at least one pokémon, though a few hadn't even gotten that yet. It didn't matter to Holden, since he was going to train them no matter what, but having at least one pokémon was really important for the purpose of the class. Back in Saffron City, having a pokémon was required for training at Apex, but he was being more allowing for this experimental one month session in Goldenrod.

When it came time to give pokémon demonstrations, everyone was incredibly excited. They especially wanted to see Holden's pokémon, since they had watched him competing in the National Pokémon Championship Series only a few months ago, where he made it into the top eight. It was very flattering, though naturally, Holden tried to hide it. In the past, he'd always enjoyed receiving praise, but he had since come to believe it was a negative quality to have, so he'd put in lots of effort to shy away from it.

Holden's pokémon were incredibly disciplined when they showcased their moves. They were very smart, and they knew Holden was afraid of somehow causing damage to the facility, or even worse, possibly harming one of the students or parents. Fortunately, he kept the pokémon on the training floor to the right section of the building, a good distance away from the other people. "Remember, everyone. Pokémon deserve our respect, _always_. They are the heart and soul of the pokémon world we live in. No matter how strong you are, your pokémon partner will always be stronger. We don't pull our pokémon with a leash: they pull us instead. Let them take you places, and you'll discover things you never even imagined."

Two hours went by without a hitch, and everything appeared to have gone very well. The students were in great spirits, even as they were going out the door. Holden overheard them telling stories to their parents about the day, even though they'd all been there to see them in person. It was a wonderful feeling for the Holden and the assistant coaches alike.

The process repeated for the second class at one o'clock, and then once again for the four o'clock class. At six o'clock, the third and final class ended, and the work day came to an end. Holden, Turner, and Erico gave each other high fives as they stood outside in front of the school triumphantly. "We did it! We actually did it! This is gonna work!" shouted Erico.

"That was the cooling thing we've ever done!" added Turner with a level of optimism he'd never showcased before.

"That was just the first day," Holden explained. "We still have a lot of work to do. For now, though, I think it's fair to say we had a great start." After another round of celebration, the coaches stopped to think about the plan now. Holden laughed and removed his wallet from his pocket. "Okay, okay. Dinner's on me. But you're all gonna have to buy groceries tomorrow because I can't afford take out every single day." The two assistant coaches chuckled but they assured Holden they understood.


	3. Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14.

After two days of classes, things took an interesting turn on the third day.

During the third class session, a new student entered the building ten minutes after the class had started. Turner and Erico stayed with the class while Holden went to the front lobby to greet the newcomer. "Welcome to Apex Academy Johto. Are you here to sign up for classes?"

The newcomer was young, but older than most of the regular students, maybe even twenty years old. His hair was messy, though it was mostly covered by a dark grey woolen cap. He had on a black hooded sweater and dark gloves with skulls on them. When Holden got a good look at the kid's face, he saw raw angst. Where did he come from?

The kid held up a crumpled piece of paper. Holden squinted as he inspected it. When he took it from the rebellious youth, he unfolded it until he could make out what it was. Sure enough, it was a permission slip from his parents to take part in the class. In addition, there was a check for the payment crumpled up as well.

Instead of sending him away, Holden needed to try to accommodate him. It was still a motivated youth, and he couldn't outright refuse him. Besides, any negative publicity for his academy out here could mean the entire month was a waste. It was best to tolerate everything possible, so long as things didn't get out of hand. "Well, all right then. My name's Holden. I'm the head coach. Why don't you come on back to the training room and you can join the rest of the class…" He glanced at the name on the registration form, "…Kirk."

Kirk twitched his mouth disrespectfully, and walked past Holden to the training room. Holden stared at the potential troublemaker with a brief look of intrigue, though it was coupled with irritation. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

Once that was all out of the way, however, the class moved along quite smooth…until the final thirty minutes. At that time, Erico and Turner had their pokémon Machamp and Poliwrath out on the floor sparring, when Kirk made some snarky comments from the back of the room. "Both your pokémon are lousy battlers. That's the worst sparring I've ever seen." He didn't even say it all that loud, but everyone in the class heard it anyway.

Erico and Turner searched the class for the source of the insult. It was Erico who spoke up first. "You, there. You have something to say?"

His tough man voice caused Holden to hold his breath nervously. Things were about to get bad, and he began to walk over to put a stop to it. Before he got there, Kirk spoke up again. "You told your Poliwrath to do fighting moves on Machamp, but in a real battle, Machamp would kick his ass. Why would anyone try to beat a top level fighting pokémon at his own game? Like I said, lousy battling." His voice was condescending and harsh, yet he just sat there in his spot in the back of the room with his arms crossed. Though the students had exercised at the beginning of the class, Kirk had refused to remove his hoody or even his hat. It was a wonder why he even signed up to begin with.

By the time Holden had gotten up close, he had to stand in front of Erico to encourage him to cool down. "That's enough," he ordered, first making sure his assistant coach didn't overreact to a little rudeness. It would probably have been easier for Erico to tolerate disrespect from a small kid, but Kirk was around the same age as him, which made it more difficult for him to stay patient. "_Patience_," Holden mouthed to Erico as he stared him in the eyes, and that quickly silenced the 18 year old.

With that taken care of, Holden turned his attention solely on Kirk. "Okay, Kirk, you have my undivided attention. Would you care to tell me why you think the battle was lousy?"

Kirk pretended to laugh as he mocked Holden's request, but it was a serious one. "Well, for starters, you want to teach about battling, but _real_ battles aren't going to be the same. When the real battles take place, good trainers will win because the losers will get caught off guard by things! And it won't even be because the trainers were that good, but rather, because the bad trainers just didn't prepare the right way." As he wrapped up, he motioned to the surrounding students. "Like everyone else in this room."

The insults were astounding, and the energy in the room was very negative. Only Holden remained composed in the presence of such ignorance, but not easily so. It was ironic that Kirk was talking about being caught off guard in battles, for now Holden had been surprised here in the training room with this sudden mocking of his academy. How would he deal with this potential menace?

Rather than trade words and potentially sink down to the punk's level, Holden tried something else. "Very interesting, Kirk, though perhaps you're writing off the competition too easily based on limited observation. So maybe what we should do is give you more to observe." Holden motioned for the other coaches to recall their pokémon so that the battle floor was available. "I assume you own some pokémon. Please join me on the dance floor and we can give the students a proper display."

Kirk tilted his head, which was the first time he'd shown just a tiny glimpse of intimidation since arriving here. "You wanna battle? Really?" He was trying hard to act like it was insulting to be challenged, but no one was that ignorant. Holden was one of the top pokémon trainers in the world, and many aspiring trainers dreamed of the chance to actually have a battle with him.

"That's right," said Holden. "I want you to show me what you'd do in a real battle." With that, he stood on one side of the field and released a pokéball. Kangaskhan came out of it and showed off her muscles for a few moments before returning to a steady position. Kirk eventually stood up and slowly made his way to the dance floor. When he finally reached his position, he revealed an orb of his own. He tossed it to the ground and out came a Hitmontop, a fighting pokémon who fought by spinning upside down from a large spike on top of its head.

Now that both pokémon were on the field, Kirk waited to see what Holden would do. Before anything, Holden shared a few words. "The reason I call this the dance floor is because pokémon battling is a lot like dancing. A glorious dance is when two dancers both know what they're doing, and they showcase it very well together. If the dancers are lacking in rhythm, they'll be clumsy and they won't inspire. The very same can be said of a pokémon battle." Now at last, Holden motioned to Kirk by raising his right hand toward him. "Go ahead and give your pokémon commands to dance."

Once again, Kirk was suddenly nervous, though only visibly for a few seconds. It was as if the moment he felt it, he immediately buried it under his cloak of angst. "Hitmontop, use triple kick!" Hitmontop spun even faster, and then rolled toward Kangaskhan. To everyone's surprise, Holden didn't give any commands in response, and the mother pokémon simply stayed in place. Then, just as Hitmontop was about to get in range to attack, Kangaskhan came forward and grabbed the fighting pokémon's foot, instantly putting a stop to the spinning. Everyone gasped in astonishment.

As Kirk watched in astonishment, Holden suddenly resumed talking. "When trainers give commands to their pokémon, the opponent can hear them. If the trainer can hear them, so can the pokémon. Therefore, battling in the traditional sense is an invitation to share your game plan with your enemy, and it is forfeiting the element of surprise. I don't expect any of you to reach this point with your pokémon anytime soon, but if you ever can…your pokémon will be very difficult to beat in battle."

Now that the students were beginning to gauge with great interest, Kirk looked annoyed once again. "Hitmontop, use agility, rolling kick, and rapid spin, but do it in whatever order you think is best." In response, Hitmontop leapt away from Kangaskhan's grip and spun once again, while also preparing his kicking techniques. However, once he had time to execute his moves, he hesitated.

This had come predictably as well, and Holden was ready to address it. "Now you've given too much information for your pokémon, so he is overwhelmed. In a desperate state, you have begun to gamble on your odds in the battle, rather than seek out an appropriate solution." Kirk was really steamed now, and he kept yelling at Hitmontop. The fighting pokémon was doing his best to obey Kirk's commands. As soon as he got close to Kangaskhan, the fight broke out. He landed some kicks, but Kangaskhan landed some punches. At first, the mother pokémon was matching Holden's strategy of resisting succumbing to the anger, but that point was now past. Though Holden had trained his pokémon to be disciplined during training, they were still unwilling to tolerate being assaulted if their training partners took the battle too far. Therefore, the two pokémon got into a rough fight as a result.

With things getting out of hand, Holden finally decided enough was enough. "Okay, well I've seen enough for now. Send him back." Kirk looked defiant, but reluctantly followed the order. Holden returned Kangaskhan as well, and things simmered down. Instead of being calm about it, Kirk stomped out of the room and toward the front door. In a few moments, he was gone from the building.

"Dammit," Turner cursed. "I'll go get him."

"No," said Holden. "I'll do it. You two finish up the class. I've taken up enough time away from our students over this display. Anyone who feels unsatisfied can stay after the class to train longer, at least another hour." Turner and Erico were annoyed at the suggestion of having to wait another hour to be done with work, but one stern look from Holden and they nodded in obedience. Even so, Holden would have to make it up to them since it had been his doing letting things get out of hand to begin with.

With that taken care of, Holden went after Kirk. Though he wanted to let the youth simply leave, he had a responsibility to watch over him. On his way out, he heard the parents talking things over among themselves from the benches, but apparently Kirk's parents weren't there. At least, that's what Holden assumed, since none of them went off after Kirk as he left. Once outside, Holden saw Kirk already two blocks down the street, so he ran after him. Eventually, he saw Kirk stop at a park located farther into a residential part of the city. He was sitting and moping on the small concrete wall just above the sandbox. Though he approached slowly, Holden eventually sat down several feet away. He didn't say anything, but he knew Kirk noticed him.

Finally, it was time to break the silence. "You're a strong trainer," said Holden.

This caused Kirk to look up, as Holden had expected. "What do you know?"

"Quite a bit, actually," Holden replied. "Or at least, I like to think I do. And I think you have a very strong pokémon who actually hung in there with one of my own." It was true that Kirk's display had been sloppy, but even so, Holden had seen something in his pokémon. "Where did you get your Tyrogue?" He was referring to the previous form of the evolved Hitmontop, since he assumed Kirk had first come to acquire Tyrogue at a young age.

Kirk looked away, but he responded. "I found him."

"Found him?" Holden asked for clarification as he was surprised.

"Yeah, found him. Then I registered to be a pokémon trainer. Now, I have four pokémon."

As Holden weighed this information, he began to construct an image of Kirk's character. From what he was gathering, there was some sort of trouble in the youth's life, though it was unlikely he'd be up front about it at the moment. If anything, it would take time to get to the underlying issues. "Why did you sign up with my class?"

Kirk just rolled his eyes. "I _didn't_…my parents made me. Otherwise, I'd ditch that dump."

Despite the insults, Holden was starting to get to the bottom of things. "You could have ditched it at any time, or at least, simply not participated. Instead, you got yourself involved. Boldly…though also recklessly." He moved a bit closer to Kirk as he was beginning to converse with him more. "Want to know what I think? I think you really _do_ want to attend the academy. You're trying to hide it, but you really want to be a strong pokémon trainer. I'm not even going out on a limb predicting it, since it's a very easy thing to aspire to. The problem is it's very hard to keep up the pace throughout your life." At last, Kirk looked back into Holden's eyes, in time to hear him say one final thing. "I should know because I fell behind at one point myself."


	4. Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15.

Another morning began, and this time, Holden had purchased a new coffee maker ahead of time. He filled his mug to the top and then placed it down on the table to let it cool. The class didn't start for another hour, so he had some time to enjoy his morning fix.

Though it was still early, the front door opened as someone entered the building. Holden glanced through the hallway and grew a bit on edge when he realized it was Jasmine. She was up bright and early as well, and decided to pay Holden a visit. When she reached the entrance to the training room, she waited patiently until he invited her inside. Though he was growing less comfortable around her, Holden smiled and granted her access. He tried to remind himself she was still a good friend of his, however overbearing she was beginning to become.

"Good morning, dear," she said with glistening eyes. "I had to take care of some things early today in the area, so I thought I'd stop by to say hello."

Holden nodded in approval, though he knew she made that up. "Just in time for coffee. Let me pour you some."

"So thoughtful of you," she replied. Holden had five different mugs on the table, which he would wash out in the restroom each day to keep them clean. He always kept the blue one for himself, so he gave the white one to Jasmine, since that was close to silver, her favorite color. After waiting for it to cool down a bit, Jasmine took a few sips. "Saffron Tranquility?"

Always one to boast over his favorite blend, Holden raised his mug up. "The very best," he replied. He'd managed to try some of the other blends by now, but it was hard to skip out on his favorite. "What do you have planned for today?"

Jasmine sat down on the couch next to Holden, very close to him. He said nothing, but he considered standing up to acquire some space, yet he held still for now. "I have to do gym battles today. I know several trainers who have been winning other badges lately, and I think they've been waiting a few days. Janine helped with some of them, but she also lost a few too many matches as well. I need to be there to make sure the gym doesn't give too many out. It's a funny system, but it works if we gym leaders stick to it." Janine helped Jasmine run the gym, though she was much younger and less experienced in battles in comparison.

Holden knew all about gym leaders and their system. They wanted to think their gyms were the best and that no one could beat them and take badges, but the Pokémon League actually _wanted_ them to lose. If more trainers could acquire badges, then more trainers would undertake the journey to become a pokémon master of the region, which was a major factor in the flow of the economy for most cities. The Pokémon League wanted most pokémon trainers to succeed in winning badges…but only the absolute strongest trainers could defeat the entire Elite Four of the region. This format kept them in positions of power overseeing the community.

Though Holden was having issues dealing with Jasmine's behavior lately, he still respected her as a gym leader. Unlike many others in her position, Jasmine never let her ego get out of control. She had always been very shy—and polite—when it came to pokémon battles. If anything, Holden was the reason she'd begun to transform. Though she was still respectful to others, her shyness seemed uplifted by Holden's presence…which was now why he was getting concerned with it. Even something good could turn bad if it grew out of hand.

With a busy day of work ahead, Holden decided it was best not to get into now. In this case, Holden was happy to be so busy with work since it gave him a good reason to be too tired to go do things with Jasmine. "You'll probably win every battle today," said Holden. "Just watch out for those fire pokémon." Jasmine specialized in steel types, so this was a valid point, though also obvious. He grinned to see her about to insist that she already knew that, but she stopped when she realized he was joking.

After finishing their coffee, Jasmine brought something up. "You know I could stay a little longer and watch your first class. Would that be all right?"

It was hard not to sigh in frustration, but Holden kept things subtle enough to go unnoticed. He even felt bad for the way he was acting, since there was no rational reason to want her to leave. "Of course, you can. You can sit on the benches, but it gets pretty crowded sometimes with all the parents watching too."

Regardless of the concerns from Holden, Jasmine just smiled in delight. "I don't mind at all."

Even with Jasmine sitting and watching the class, things went by very smooth. Holden, Turner, and Erico got everyone doing the warmups and it got everybody fired up before the actual pokémon training, just as it was intended to. Today, Holden had the students practice giving their pokémon commands, while gradually adding on other elements to the moves, such as attack combinations. Often times, one attack led effectively to another one, so long as the students knew ahead of time what order to follow.

"Always remember your pokémon are your _partners_. They're your teammates. You're all on the same team together. If one person on the team wins, then you all do. If one person fails, then you all fail together. Always treat your pokémon like you treat your family, because that's what they are: family." Holden's words had the effect of constantly reminding the aspiring pokémon trainers of how vital it was to have respect for their pokémon, which in turn developed discipline in all facets of life. That was his method, and it was proven to be very effective.

When the class was over, the coaches decided to go grab some lunch before continuing, and Jasmine walked over to them. "Hey Holden, would it be okay if I stayed in to watch the next class too?"

Turner and Erico gave their head coach funny looks, but Holden ushered them to pipe down as he dealt with it. "What about your gym? I thought you had to go to battles?"

Despite having claimed that earlier, Jasmine appeared to have lost interest. "Yes, but those can wait. I do gym battles all the time, but I never get to spend time with you. Could I, please?" She held her hands together up to her chest, in front of the bright orange bow on her outfit. She was adorable, if not for her subtle attempts at smothering.

Holden was eager to be rid of her, and this time, giving her permission to stay would also inadvertently grant her permission to go get lunch with him and his assistant coaches. "I always enjoy your company, Jasmine, but I'm really busy meeting with my coaches to evaluate the students for the classes. I can't really spend time with you while we're working, I'm sorry." It was much easier for him to tell her no this time since he had his obligations to justify it, and he wouldn't let anything interfere with that.

At the very least, Jasmine asked for permission instead of imposing herself into his environment. "Aw, you are? That's okay, cause maybe we can get dinner or something once you're off from work?"

For now, that would have to do for Holden. After all, he couldn't simply deny her completely outright. "Dinner sounds great. I'll be off at seven o'clock." At last, Jasmine made her exit, and everyone let out a sigh of relief.

"Holden, what the hell is going on with you and your girlfriend?" Erico asked, finally willing to address what they were all thinking.

"Nothing," he insisted. "And she's not my girlfriend."

The others begged to differ. Turner held a hand up toward where Jasmine had previously been standing. "She's crazy about you. What the hell is going on?"

Perhaps Holden would have told them if only he knew the answer himself. "She's an old friend of mine. We go way back. She helped me out back when I had no support in this region. Only now, she's become…very clingy."

Unlike the others, Erico was sure of the solution. "Here's what you should do: _break up with her_. Just tell her you two can't be together because it's not right to just lead her on if you don't really feel that way about her." Though he was younger than Holden, he seemed to have it figured out very easily.

Unlike Erico, Holden didn't believe the response was so simple, and he was suddenly very defensive. "I _told _you, we're not together. We never were. I don't need to break up with her, because I never made her my girlfriend." When he looked into Turner and Erico's eyes, they clearly didn't feel the same way. They were concerned as coaches, as well as friends, but they didn't want to overstep their bounds with their head coach.

Despite the issues at hand, the three of them locked up and went to get some lunch. In less than an hour, it would be time for the next class. The day moved along, and no more issues popped up until the third class, where once again, Kirk was sulking in the back of the room. Unlike the other students, Kirk wouldn't participate in the warm ups, and remained sitting and wearing his hoody and black gloves. It was a mockery to the school, and the assistant coaches wanted to force him to comply, but Holden instructed them to back off. He was keeping an eye on Kirk himself, hoping to find a way to get through to him, though it wouldn't be easy.

Near the end of the class, Holden found an opportunity. "Okay, today we're going to try something different. I'm going to have _you_, students of Apex Academy Johto, give commands to _my_ pokémon team." Everyone gasped and then cheered with excitement, knowing how special this was. Even Kirk looked up from his pouting to see what Holden was up to.

With that said, Holden released his team of six from their orbs so that they were in a line down the training floor, ready to launch special attacks. Holden pointed a finger toward the middle of the line of six, and they split off so that they were in three pairs. It was always impressive how little Holden had to say or do to get his pokémon to follow instructions. "Everyone, form three lines, one behind each pair of pokémon, and we'll begin." The kids rushed over in a wild crowd, and Holden raised an arm, reminding them to do so in organized fashion. Somehow, it worked, and the lines came into form soon after. When Holden looked back where Kirk had been sitting, he wasn't there, which meant even the teen rebel had gotten in line. "Okay, now here's how it's going to work. When you walk up to the pokémon in front of you, give them a move to attack with. Remember, it has to be a move the pokémon knows, so if you need, the coaches will be standing next to you to provide hints."

With things ready to go, the exercise began. The three pokémon receiving commands were Lapras, Kangaskhan, and Scizor, and the students had a blast calling out attacks. The pokémon launched a variety of moves at the opposing side, and the other three defended and dodged the attacks, which were only being launched with lower power levels merely to demonstrate. After half the lines were taken care of, Holden put a pause on things so the pokémon pairs could switch sides. Now it was Snorlax, Venusaur, and Alakazam who were launching attacks.

Finally, the lines were nearly complete, and there, at last, was Kirk in line behind Snorlax. When it was his turn, he gave a controversial command. "Snorlax, use earthquake."

The coaches grew suddenly very concerned, but Holden remained smug. He'd already instructed his team not to use attacks that could damage the property, so Snorlax wasn't going to use that move. "Sorry, Kirk, you'll have to try another attack."

Kirk turned to face Holden. "He knows earthquake. I've seen him use it before."

_Patience_. Holden's patience remained intact, but this was beginning to cross lines. "We're not trying to leave cracks in the battle floor, Kirk. Try another attack."

At last, Kirk said something else. "Snorlax, use hyperbeam."

Unlike the other attacks the pokémon were using, this move was impossible to use at a lower power level. However, Holden glanced over at his Snorlax, then over at Scizor, who snarled irritably, and then Holden gave a gentle nod. Instead of Lapras, however, it was Scizor who moved over and stood opposite of Snorlax. Being a steel type, he would resist the hyperbeam attack more than Lapras would. Sure enough, Snorlax launched the blast in a bright flash, and everyone watched in fascination at one of the strongest attacks in the pokémon universe. Scizor took the hit like a champ, barely falling to one knee before standing back up to show off his durability.

Everyone clapped in appreciation…everyone except Kirk. He just sighed and walked away, as if it didn't faze him. Holden nodded and accepted the response for the time being. His work was demanding enough already, but having Kirk interfering with things was contributing greatly to undo everything. Time was running out.

When the demonstration was over, Holden made sure to walk over to Scizor, whose armor was still smoking from the heat of the hyperbeam attack. As Holden held a hand up toward his pokémon, Scizor growled at him and turned away, expressing his irritation. The praying mantis pokémon had been loyal and obeyed Holden's commands, though it had been pushing it. Holden realized Scizor was angry with him and would have to find a way to apologize to him later on when he cooled down. His pokémon would do nearly anything he asked them to, but they were _not_ his slaves.

When the class ended, and the coaches began cleaning up, Holden went outside to inspect the front of the building when he spotted Kirk sitting down the block by the street. The other students had all left with their parents, or been picked up, and now only Kirk was still there. It was six thirty by now, so he'd been sitting there for half an hour.

Though he was still annoyed with the rebellious teen, Holden knew he had to go see what was going on. "Kirk," he greeted him. "You're still waiting for your ride?"

When Kirk saw Holden, he looked over for a moment and then buried his face out of sight. "What do you care?"

Something was wrong, and Holden sensed it, but he didn't want to make things worse by prying. Therefore, he would have to proceed cautiously. After all, he couldn't just leave Kirk sitting out here alone. "Your parents are running late?" he asked calmly. Kirk shrugged his shoulders, which seemed to answer the question. However, it seemed to be worse than that, and Holden decided to make him an offer. "Do you need a ride home?"

Though Kirk was moody, and had been rebelling harshly with Holden and the school every day he attended, he still seemed significantly defused at the moment. "Yeah, I guess." With that said, Holden pulled out his phone to call a cab. He still didn't own a car, but there were plenty of ways to get around. Minutes later, the taxi pulled up in front of the Radio Tower and Kirk slowly got up to get inside. To his surprise, Holden climbed into the taxi as well. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"I can't let you go off in a taxi on your own," Holden insisted. "You're one of my students, and thus you're my responsibility." Kirk crossed his arms in annoyance and didn't try to oppose Holden, knowing that it would be futile. Once the cab driver had the address, he took the two pokémon trainers in that direction. It took fifteen minutes to reach the house, and when they arrived, the house was lit up with noise. Holden opened the door to get out and stared in bewilderment at the scene, wondering what was going on. "Is that…a party?"

"Okay, bye," said Kirk as he tried to rush off.

Instead, Holden actually grabbed Kirk's arm to stop him. "You _live_ there?" Though Kirk was glaring at Holden in response, he still nodded slightly enough to confirm it. Holden sighed and gently released Kirk's arm. "Your parents didn't pick you up because they were having a party at their house?"

"They always have parties," said Kirk. "That's all they care about. Whatever, though, just leave it alone."

It was not Holden's place to go to another person's home to question their life style choices, but he did have an obligation to support a fellow student. And here in this moment, he was committed to speaking his mind. "Listen to me, Kirk. I don't know you that well, but I do know that you've had a poor attitude since the first day in my school. And if I had to guess, you probably never wanted to sign up for my school but were forced to by your parents so they could get you out of the house more often. That sound about right?"

Kirk was really upset now, but he was unable to deny Holden's claims. "Why do you care so much? Why can't you just leave me alone? You're academy is a joke, anyway. None of your students have a future if they train under you!"

It was a low blow, and Holden grew furious in that moment. He clenched his hands into fists as he was reminded of this reality, but he took deep breaths and returned to his composure. _Patience_. Even Kirk got intimidated by the gesture, sensing that Holden had genuinely wished to hurt him for a few moments there. Fortunately, Holden once again maintained his patience, and returned to being composed, though he would not back down from Kirk's declaration. "Tell me what you mean by that, Kirk."

In the past, Kirk had backed down from confronting Holden, but now that he was emotional over his own issues at home, he didn't hesitate to speak what was on his mind. "You're academy is banned from the Pokémon League competitions. That means anyone who becomes a student under you can't become a Pokémon League Champion. The only way they can succeed is to leave your school, so why sign up to begin with? You're not helping trainers, you're _ruining_ them. Your school is a _sham_." It was a painful dose of potential truth, and Holden found the words very hurtful. He was very quiet as he weighed them, and Kirk simmered down somewhat as well. "I…I _want_ to become a pokémon trainer. But…if I train with _you_…I'll _never _become a trainer. That's why I hate the class."

It wouldn't be easy to solve Kirk's problems, but Holden had words he wished to say. "You've got a point, Kirk. Students at Apex Academy are not allowed to compete nationally unless they disassociate from my school. Yet…they're _loyal_ and don't want to leave and potentially cut ties. I've tried many things to ensure I don't become an obstacle for them but…maybe it would be the more responsible thing to just shut the school down."

Though Holden's words were a bit demoralizing, he raised his head and came forward with the other side of things. "That being said…this school is _my_ life. I've been committed to it for many years and I'm not giving up on it. What I'm doing out here in Johto is trying to undo the damage the Pokémon League Council did to my academy. I'm going to get the ban uplifted and assure my students have a bright future. If I fail, then so be it, but I'm going to do everything in my power to succeed." He placed a hand on Kirk's left shoulder. "You _are_ a pokémon trainer, Kirk. It doesn't matter if you take my class or not. I'm not asking you to commit to being a student at my academy if you don't want to, but while you're a student here for the rest of the month, I _am_ asking that you are respectful to the others, especially the pokémon. As a pokémon trainer, even you can agree to that."

With a heavy sigh, Kirk begrudgingly nodded in agreement. "You just don't give up do you?" he said with the closest thing to a grin he'd exhibited since Holden had met him.

He was referring to being pursued over the issues with the school, but Holden felt the words applied to more than just that. "I _never_ give up. Just watch me."

Suddenly, Holden checked his watch and realized what time it was. At the same time, he came upon an idea. "Kirk?" Once he had the student's attention, he continued. "Come with me. We'll grab some dinner. I'll even pay. That should kill some time for the party here to die down."

It was unexpected, and even Kirk knew there was more to it. "Why are you suddenly offering me dinner?"

There was no getting around it for Holden. "The thing is…I need to ask you for a favor."


	5. Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16.

At 7:15, the cab returned to the Radio Tower next door to the academy suite, and Jasmine was standing and waiting outside. When Kirk looked through the window, he quickly recognized who it was. "That's Jasmine, the Olivine Gym leader. How do you know her?"

Holden tried to look away instead of giving a direct response, but Kirk was smarter than that. "Just remember what I told you."

They both climbed out of the cab and Jasmine leapt forward. She was wearing a grey cloak over her shoulders since it had gotten chilly out, but underneath she was dressed in silver. "There you are! I was worried you'd forgotten about our dinner plans! Is everything all right?" When she noticed Kirk, she tilted her head. "Who's this?"

"This is Kirk," said Holden. "He's a student here at the school. If it's all right with you, I was hoping he could join us. He could use a break from life back home."

Kirk couldn't help but roll his eyes, though it was still an accurate statement. Jasmine giggled and turned to face him. "Of course, I don't mind, I'm used to having to share you after all, Holden." In response, Kirk stared in bewilderment at Holden, who just looked down trying to avoid observing Kirk's judgment.

The three of them went to dinner together and it was a pleasant enough time. Thanks to Kirk's presence, the conversations mainly concerned pokémon battles and training, rather than the excessive ploys at intimacy Jasmine attempted on Holden. With a third party at the table, she resorted more toward her natural shy nature, and was thus more tolerable.

When things came to an end, Jasmine offered to drive Kirk back home, along with Holden, but he quickly intervened. "Actually, I'll make sure he gets back home. Let's call it a night, it's already late. I'll give you a call sometime tomorrow, Jasmine."

She was sad to hear it, but she remained compliant. "Okay, honey. I look forward to it." After having to spend the entire evening reserved, she finally did insist on planting a kiss on Holden's lips before going home. He obliged her, and sighed once she was out of sight. Sometimes, he felt there was something wrong with him, because why would anyone loath such attention and praise? Jasmine was kind and attractive, and even a strong pokémon trainer. Yet somehow, Holden remained his stubborn self, lacking in any desire to have a serious relationship. At least, not with her.

At last, Holden and Kirk were alone, and the rebellious teen gave Holden a forceful shove to his shoulder. "What's the matter with you?" he said irritably.

"What?" asked Holden, caught off guard by Kirk's sudden behavior change.

"That girl is _crazy_ about you," insisted Kirk. "Why did you make me go with you two? She would have totally made out with you if I wasn't there!"

Holden shook his head instead of addressing it. "Just remember our deal. I bought you dinner so that you could come and keep things peaceful, and now you don't say anything afterward."

Kirk just sighed and nodded, but he still couldn't relinquish all his questions just yet. "She's really _not_ your girlfriend? Because it looks like she totally is." Holden shook his head adamantly, but Kirk just grinned in skepticism. "You know what I think? I think you're afraid. You're afraid of admitting the truth. You think that pretending you're not involved with her will make it okay, but you're gonna find out how wrong you are if you don't do something."

Suddenly, Holden was in the spotlight and at the mercy of Kirk's analysis. He didn't want to hear this from one of his students, but it was a more detailed explanation than anything Turner or Erico had ever come up with. Could Kirk possibly have valid opinions on the matter? "How would you know anything about any of that?"

Kirk paused for a moment, but now that he was feeling eager to demonstrate his knowledge, he proceeded. "My parents were the same way." That alone, seemed to prepare Holden. After seeing just the surface of how Kirk's parents were neglecting him, he knew right away there was much more underneath. "They got together and acted like everything was okay. Then when I was born, they kept on pretending they didn't have problems. Now, they just throw parties all the time, and they…they _never_ do a damn thing about anything. They just live in a fantasy world. They don't even love each other. They _hate_ each other. But they don't want to do anything about it. They just want to…keep up the make believe."

Suddenly, both Holden and Kirk were feeling very vulnerable, and they reached a comforting silence. After several moments of peace to weigh everything, Holden broke it. "I'm sorry. No child should have to go through that."

Instead of his usual contempt, Kirk appeared more compassionate. "I'm sorry, too. You aren't a bad trainer. In fact, you're probably the best trainer I've ever seen."

It helped Holden feel better hearing it, but first he had something that needed to be addressed. "I don't need your apology, but someone else does." When Kirk looked confused, Holden revealed one of his orbs. "If you give it, all will be forgiven." Kirk sighed nervously, but hesitantly nodded. Holden tossed the pokéball and released Scizor onto the sidewalk. The praying mantis pokémon growled lowly when he saw Kirk, but remained still otherwise. "Go on, Kirk."

"Are you serious?" Kirk asked reluctantly.

"Do it," Holden insisted.

With one final breath before going in, Kirk moved forward. He reached a hand toward Scizor as he slowly made his approach. The bright red beast was an intimidating sight, but still Kirk moved closer, until he was a few feet away. Finally, he ushered the words, "Scizor, I'm…sorry. I'm sorry for having Snorlax shoot you with hyperbeam. It was disrespectful, and I won't do it again."

To Holden's surprise, Kirk actually lowered down to one knee and ducked his head in a show of humility. He hadn't even asked Kirk to do it, which made it more genuine and impressive. When Scizor saw it, he turned his head slightly, intrigued by the display. Moments later, the pokémon went down on one knee as well, until he was just in front of Kirk. For a moment, the two locked eyes, and a sense of mutual respect had been achieved. Finally, Kirk reached forward and patted Scizor's head with a brief motion. After nearly ten seconds, Scizor pulled away and distanced himself once again.

Holden was smiling with delight. "He never lets anyone pet him. Guess he likes you now."


	6. Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17.

As time moved on, things smoothed over in Apex Academy Johto. The classes were going very well, and the students continued to grow in interest and skill. They were memorizing pokémon attacks and beginning to observe their pokémon with improvement. It wasn't easy to determine when a pokémon had reached its breaking point in a battle, but by picking up on the signs displayed, trainers could make the right decisions on when to return their pokémon to their orbs. There were many facets of the game, and so there was much to learn.

Holden had finally put a stop to Kirk's trouble rousing, but he'd done more than that. Kirk began to help the class out a lot, being that he was older and had a reasonably strong team of pokémon with Hitmontop, Pineco, Flaaffy, and Quagsire. Two of his pokémon hadn't fully evolved yet in Pineco and Flaaffy, but they were close and he knew it. Holden predicted their evolutions would take place by the end of the month.

He ended up being correct.

One night, after training was done, Holden was consumed by his thoughts. He had his phone and was looking at his emails, and he saw a couple sent to him from Serena. She was suddenly on his mind now, though he hadn't seen her in months. That was one person he definitely felt was special, though he'd failed to make a move with her. Holden knew just about everything concerning pokémon battles, but he was practically clueless with serious relationships. Did he even want to have one? He asked himself that question very often, and usually the answer was no, yet sometimes it wasn't. Did that not mean he actually _desired_ a partner? It was as if the only way he'd find out was if he tried, but he was afraid of how it would impact his life's work. After all, his academy and competitions had always taken priority in his life over other things, so it was hard to imagine adjusting the habit. Still, when it came to Serena….

A car pulled up outside, and Holden knew right away it was Jasmine. She was probably the reason why he was beginning to feel the way he did. Jasmine was practically leaping into his arms, yet he was still resisting her attempts. Perhaps, that meant he really did just want to remain single, since how else could he justify resisting her offers? Then he thought about her excessive attempts at seducing him and considered the alternative. Maybe he simply didn't feel that way about _her_.

Jasmine knocked on the door and came inside, where she found Holden sitting at his desk. "Long day, Hun?" she inquired thoughtfully.

Holden looked at her peacefully and nodded. "Guess I'm feeling a bit more worn out tonight."

Despite his words attempting to ward her away, Jasmine only came closer. "Well then…let me take care of you." She placed her hands on Holden's shoulders and massaged them gently. Suddenly, he was feeling incredibly relaxed, and the thoughts of his stressful life were put at ease, even if only temporarily. Once he was in that state, Jasmine started talking. "You know, you've been at this for a long time, Holden. Have you ever thought about…about settling down?" His eyes glanced up to their corners in sudden surprise, but Jasmine didn't notice because her head was suddenly in the clouds. "I mean, you've been fighting more than just pokémon battles. You've been fighting against the entire Pokémon League all this time. It's so much stress, and I don't like seeing you always so worn out. But…if you wanted, you could easily have a much easier life. You could move _here_, in the Johto region, and I'd be here with you. You're a workaholic, I get it, but I think you still want more out of life. You don't realize how great a catch you are, Holden."

Even Jasmine had never come forth with such a bold and straightforward proposition. As he thought it over, maybe it _was_ the answer to all his problems. That was the biggest issue though: it only helped with _his_ problems. There were many others counting on him still, and he couldn't abandon them. "Jasmine…I have students. Many of them. They're counting on me to fight for their future. As long as I have my academy, that will always be my priority in life. I can't run away from all that. No matter what, that's where I belong."

Though his words made sense, the only thing Jasmine seemed to take from it was that she was being rejected. "Don't you care about me, Holden? I've been good to you. I thought…" She trailed off, unable to voice what ideas were in her head, just as much as Holden was unable to come forward and say what he needed to.

Now that he'd come this far, Holden decided now was the time to keep going. "Jasmine…I have my own life. I'm sorry. You've been good to me, but I'm not that man." She slowly pulled away and stood over Holden with a sudden sense of emotional instability. Even so, she didn't say any words and just stood there looking at him, trying to process what was happening. Holden grew uncomfortable just sitting there and he returned to his feet and looked her in the eyes. He very nearly came out with the words but she turned away and rushed out the door. Moments later, she was gone and driving off in her car. Holden could only sit back down and hold his hands over his face, trying to figure everything out.

After spending some time sulking, Holden got up and went to the kitchen where he cooked some dinner to preoccupy himself. As he enjoyed some noodles and rice, he thought about Serena again. Maybe he wasn't completely opposed to the idea of a serious relationship. She had been such a level headed girl the entire time he knew her. If anything, that encouraged him to reach out to her again.

One way or another, he would likely see her again. After all, he had plans to return to the Kalos region in another month or so to meet with the Pokémon League Council. When he did, he would use the results of his time spent in Johto to try and convince the council to uplift the ban over Apex Academy from opening schools in other regions, as well as competing in league tournaments. This was his chance to finally give all his dedicated students a better future.

Once he finished his meal, Holden cleaned up and prepared to go to bed. While he was lying there, he was still deep in thought, and unable to simply drift off to sleep. His thoughts wouldn't let him off the hook so easily. If he wanted to find peace from his worries, he needed to sort them out. Until then, he would be burdened, and things would only grow worse.

Holden lied in bed for many hours, pondering everything.


	7. Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18.

The final day of Apex Academy Johto came to an end, and the coaches were in great spirits as they were celebrating a successful month. Holden, Turner, and Erico were smiling and laughing as they bounced around in front of the building, enjoying a well-earned period of victory. In addition, Kirk was there as well, though he was more reserved in his celebration.

"To Apex Academy!" Erico held up a pokéball. "Forever and a day!"

Turner and Holden held their own orbs up to Erico's. "Forever and a day!"

Holden glanced over at Kirk, and motioned to him with his head. "Get over here, Kirk." The teen rolled his eyes, but laughed and joined them in the end. "Forever and a day!" he joined them in cheer, and another toast with the orbs. Once it was over, Turner and Erico began laughing and joking about things while Holden spoke with Kirk. "Guess you're gonna miss us?" he joked, though he imagined it was probably true somewhat.

Kirk looked down for a moment, and then back up before responding. "Hey, I was thinking…." Holden was quiet and giving his full attention now. "I was thinking…your academy may be banned from competitions and stuff, but…you are the best trainer I know. I want to train with you still."

Though Kirk had warmed up to the classes, Holden hadn't expected him to want to keep training after the month was over. "Well, Kirk, you're welcome to visit the academy back in Kanto anytime."

As it turned out, Kirk meant something more than that. "I want to sign up for your school. I hate it out here."

Even Turner and Erico reacted by quieting down to pay attention, while Holden raised an eyebrow. "If your goal is to become a league champion, it's probably best you go your own path, Kirk."

"I want to be the best trainer possible," Kirk replied. "And that means training with the best, and that's _you_. I'm on your side." This sudden decree of dedication showcased how much the young trainer Kirk had changed in the past weeks, and the coaches were very impressed. He'd gone from an apathetic, mocking bully to a committed pokémon trainer. This was made possible by Kirk's valid desire to pursue a dream, even if his family didn't support it.

Holden smiled, and held his right hand forward. "If that's the case, then let me say this: I vow to do everything in my power to ensure a bright future for you, and the rest of the students at Apex Academy, no matter the cost." They both shook hands and it was decided. Kirk was done with his old life in Goldenrod City. Now, it was time for a new chapter in his life, for he was going to go to the Kanto region to train at Apex.

There was one day left to pack everything up, and it wasn't going to be easy. For one thing, the crew that had installed the mats and battle floor would eventually have to remove everything, though for now, that didn't need to happen. Holden made an agreement with the property manager to commission the moving crew if anyone else wanted to rent out the building again, but so far, no one had made any offers. The end goal for Holden would be to acquire the suite for a new school if he could get permission from the Pokémon League.

Gathering the supplies was exhausting, and Holden donated a lot of things to the Radio Tower. They even received a few tokens of gratitude from them in exchange, as well as got in a good word with the head executive, who could potentially invite him back to be a guest at some point. The most time consuming job was the cleanup, so the four trainers worked together to mop and scrub everything in the building. Fortunately, Kirk's additional help proved very useful and sped the process up. Already, he was doing his part to contribute to his vow.

When it was all done, the four of them stood outside and looked at the suite one last time. "Gonna miss this place," said Turner, as he squinted his eyes from the sun while peering into the glass windows.

Holden patted him on the back. "Don't worry, we'll be back. I have a good feeling." Turner smiled and thought about how wonderful that would be if it came true. It was time to leave, and the four trainers climbed into the cab and the school was soon out of their sight.

There was still one more thing that needed to be done: Kirk needed to pack his things and tell his parents about his decision. Obviously, that wouldn't go by so well, and everyone knew it. When the cab pulled up to Kirk's house, things seemed peaceful enough, but Kirk was suddenly very nervous. Holden got out of the car and opened the door for his new friend. "Let's go, buddy. Don't worry; I'll be there with you."

He looked up at Holden and never looked more vulnerable. "What if…what if they get pissed?"

Though that was a distinct possibility, Holden made sure he was encouraging for his new friend. "If this is truly what you want, they'll understand." Kirk stood up out of the car and slowly began to approach the house. Holden leaned in the window to the cab to speak to Turner and Erico. "You two go ahead to the train station. I'll get another cab once we're done here and catch up. Make sure you check your phone." He stared specifically at Erico as he said it, which made Turner chuckle.

The cab took off, leaving Holden and Kirk to approach the house themselves. They reached the front door and Holden stepped back, giving Kirk space to take care of his business. He had a key to open the door and he went inside, but he left the door open. From out front, Holden could hear things, and right away, he heard Kirk talking to his parents, which resulted in voices growing louder and louder. Some time went by, and the shouting would occur periodically, only to grow silent, and then sound off again.

Eventually, Kirk's mother, Marla, came to the front door and glared at Holden with defensive blue eyes. "So _you're_ the one trying to get my boy to leave his home! You should be ashamed! This is where he lives, and you have no right!" She was wearing a purple dress that went down low and nearly tripped her as she stomped toward Holden.

_Patience_. Holden always needed to exert his composure, and this was no exception. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Kampmann. My name is Holden Hoffman. I'm the head coach at Apex Academy back in the Kanto region. I'm here today because Kirk has expressed his desire to move to the Kanto region to train at my academy."

"That's nonsense!" Marla shouted in disapproval. "He's _my_ son!"

Though she was upset, Holden's words were calm and soothing, and she began to inevitably simmer down as a result. "Kirk wants to be a pokémon trainer," Holden explained. "He wants to grow in strength and knowledge, and we can help him do that. I believe he's ready to take the next step of his journey today." Marla sighed and held her hands against her hips, trying to contain her emotions and think things over.

Just then, Kirk came to the front door, along with his father, Terrence. The man was dressed in a bathrobe, even though it was late in the afternoon, and looked very confused. "What did this man say to you?" Terrence demanded to know. "Kirk, you can't just up and leave your home. We're your _parents_!"

Now that Kirk was present, Holden saw just how emotional the teen was. "My parents? You _never_ support me! You didn't listen to me when I said I wanted to go and travel, so I could grow as a trainer. Instead, you kept on telling me not to do it, and you threatened me when I suggested it. When I wanted to go get a starter pokémon, you just told me it was a bad idea, and I used to think you were right, until I found a stray Tyrogue, and he became my first pokémon. I've been training on my own this entire time, and for some reason, you both had the insane idea of forcing me to go to a pokémon class in town just to get me out of the house so you could have parties!" After letting off much needed steam, Kirk slowed down before continuing. "Well, guess what? It turns out that stupid class you signed me up for was the best thing that ever happened to me. Now I want to go train with them…in Saffron City. That's where I'm going now. That's what I _want_ to do. Please, _please_…support me this one time."

Everything came together, and Kirk had reached the point where he was pleading with his parents, which made them grasp how serious he was. He was their son, but he had never fought so hard with them over something like this before. In addition, it put everything into view for them to realize how much they'd come to neglect him over the months. Marla even began to shed some tears and she reached out to hug her son. Kirk caved in and hugged her back, fighting now to prevent crying himself, despite always acting so thick-skinned the entire time Holden had known him. Terrence walked over and put his arms over the other two, providing consolation as well. "We're sorry, son. We really are. We shouldn't have let things get this far out of hand."

Marla backed away so she could look Kirk in the eyes, though hers were filled with tears. "I'm so sorry! You're right, we've been terrible. Please, please, please…don't leave."

Though it was unexpected, Kirk couldn't stay upset with his mother crying, and he held her shoulders in consolation as he continued to speak. "Mom, it's all right. I forgive you. I forgive you both. And I'm sorry too, for being rude so often." She managed to restrain her tears somewhat thanks to her son suddenly looking more cheerful, and he pressed on. "I'm not going away forever. Besides, I'm only going to be one train ride away in the next region from here. This is what I want, though, and it's my decision to make."

Now, both Terrence and Marla gazed over at Holden, who just stood there with a calm grin, getting a dose of emotion himself. "Only on one condition," Terrence said as he turned back to Kirk. "We get to visit you. You don't disappear from us."

There were no objections from Kirk, who just laughed. "Of course. And I'll come back and visit too." At last, things were settled, and the family embraced one another and reached a healthy conclusion to everything.

Once Kirk was done packing as much of his belongings as he could carry in two bags, his parents gave him one final goodbye. Holden cautiously approached and offered a handshake to both of them as well. "He'll become a very strong pokémon trainer. You'll see it very soon."

Though his words were inspiring, Marla pointed a firm finger at Holden. "Don't abandon our son. You've promised to help him, now _do it_." Her words were intense, but understandable, and still said out of respect.

Holden matched the level of seriousness that Marla was emitting. "You have my word." To his surprise, Marla gave Holden a strong hug next, and he realized these two really did care strongly about their son. It was a beautiful thing to bear witness too, and Holden wasn't going to ever forget it.

Once the cab had arrived, Holden and Kirk left together. They headed to the Magnet Train station where they would catch up with Turner and Erico. They found the other two waiting in the lobby, enjoying some coffee. "Where'd you get that?" asked Holden eagerly. They pointed in the direction of the coffee shop, and Holden went for it. Minutes later, all four trainers had cups of coffee and train tickets to Saffron City, where they would all be returning home, while Kirk would be going to see his new home for the first time.

THE END


End file.
